Jazz on the Green: the Preservationists

Mission Bay High School will host this fundraiser for their music programs, with the school’s grassy central quad area serving as the site of the second annual Jazz on the Green mini music festival.

The school is home to nationally acclaimed student combo, the Preservationists, who will perform. Formerly the Mission Bay High School Dixieland Jazz Band, the group toured throughout California and was as known for their signature red striped 1920s vintage costumes, as they were for their music. Balmat opted to trade the decades old look in for more casual modern dress in 2011.

“I know there are people who miss the old outfits,” he said. “Heck, I miss them sometimes. Tradition is hard to break, but I feel it’s always necessary to move forward, still paying respect to the ones before us.”

The update extended to the music as well. Whereas the band was previously known primarily as a Dixieland group, the current incarnation’s sound is slightly more expansive. “The Preservationists play something close to traditional New Orleans jazz, with influences of swing, blues, and more straight ahead jazz. Just like New Orleans, it’s a melting pot of ideas, influences and sounds.”